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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27762871">Ashes of a Coleus</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rizu_Lays_Here_Dying/pseuds/Rizu_Lays_Here_Dying'>Rizu_Lays_Here_Dying</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ChroNoiR</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Chronoir Lore Interpretation, Confessions, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kanae is Slightly Self-destructive, Kuzuha Needs a Hug, M/M, Reincarnation, Somewhat Told from Kuzuha's Perspective</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:15:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27762871</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rizu_Lays_Here_Dying/pseuds/Rizu_Lays_Here_Dying</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Whenever he found Kanae, no matter what version of him that was, the outcome was the same. It was unfair to his partner who met him for the first time, every cycle, unaware of their prior years together. Kanae wasn’t obligated to feel the same way about him each time, but he did. Always, <i>always</i> with that unconditional love that Kuzuha didn’t think he deserved. The guilt was severe, it made him prone to pushing Kanae away, to act more standoffish than he actually felt. A pattern in his behavior that developed and resurfaced more and more with each reincarnation. He knew it was foul play, but the liability had cultivated itself into a monster he saw in every mirror. </p><p>And he convinced himself, with a resolute despair, that he had to keep this monster away from his oldest, most beloved friend.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kanae/Kuzuha (Nijisanji)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>301</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ashes of a Coleus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuzuha didn’t know that Kanae got his driver’s license until 3AM that misty sunday morning, when he heard a small pebble knock against his window and opened it to see his partner with a sly grin, proposing they should pay a visit to the chapel up the hill. Kuzuha, with his elbows propped up on the balcony ledge, told him he was insane. Five minutes later, he got in the car anyways. </p><p> </p><p>Kanae offered him a cigarette, slender and clean on his fingertips. What a tender gesture. What a brutal offering. Kindness and cruelty often came hand in hand with him, it’s been that way for as long as Kuzuha can remember. Though the person in question had definitely forgotten. </p><p> </p><p>“Not a chance,” He said, he felt like he would melt. Kuzuha was winter; Kanae was summer. That’s how the cards were dealt. Kuzuha was more frigid, his nights longer, but spring always followed the slow trekk of his time. Kanae was warm, his days fizzled quick with heat, too quick even, then there was always autumn. The Fall. </p><p> </p><p>“You sure? Just one won’t kill you. It can’t, all things considered.” </p><p> </p><p>He scoffed. “Yeah right, if I really wanted one it’s not like you’d actually let me have one.”</p><p> </p><p>“What makes you say that?” </p><p> </p><p>“Because you’re a liar, and an idiot.” </p><p> </p><p>A pause, no verbal rebuttal came. Kanae shrugged and ignited, Kuzuha coughed on his breath. His partner tapped on something to his left and the AC made a shutter noise, it slowly filtered out the smoke, a neat trick. </p><p> </p><p><em> You should quit </em>, Kuzuha thought but didn’t say, Kanae didn’t need words to know. They had a sort of telepathy between them, invisible linked synapses and bonded neurons. It wasn’t as nice as it sounded. There was a masochistic nature in being able to feel everything another person did, it was as intimate to the mind as it was abusive on the heart. </p><p> </p><p>When Kanae tapped ashes on his own lap, Kuzuha felt the singe. He roughly cleared his throat.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s a water bottle under the backseat,” Kanae said. </p><p> </p><p>Kanae’s car was a black Fortune: Acura NSX, lit molten by his cigarette, the neon glow of the dashboard and the ghastly paleness of the moon. Carpeted with candy wrappers and gas station receipts, Kuzuha roots through the debris, finding the dented container tucked beneath a fallen cat pillow and an empty pack of smokes. He downed it all in three gulps, crushed the plastic in his hand. It didn’t sate his thirst. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A hundred years ago, presumably more, Kanae despised the very<em> idea </em> of these chemicals and their toxicity. He counseled often of the evils in such vices; be it tobacco, alcohol or opium. A body is a temple, cherish the time you are given, do good and love abundantly as was the written purpose of God's creations. That image of him remained vivid in his mind, eclipsed by the light of the cathedral’s stained glass, ethereal and pure. <em> Not meant to be dirtied by something like him</em>. But Aleksandr Lagusa knew himself to be a selfish and covetous person, he dug his claws into the kindness and generosity he was shown. So sure that he could afford whatever the cost of that happiness was. </p><p> </p><p>They would idle together in a back garden, eating fruits that Kanae grew there as a hobby. Apples, plums, olives and grapes. Baby’s breath bloomed in clusters like a reef of stars, shaded by the thick green of hedges that enclosed them both in that space. A marble goddess gazed at the sky, one hand on her hip and one raised like a teapot. Vines cinched around her elbows. At her feet was a fountain, koi fish swam above the coins resting against drowned gravel. <em> Our secret Eden </em>, Kanae had called it. He personally never liked the name, after the countless priest’s sermons he had listened in on, the passages of Eden were not exactly a preferable story to be compared to. </p><p> </p><p><em> Those humans, </em> Aleksandr spoke, lazing in the shadow of a tall oak tree, <em> Adam and Eve. Were they not exiled from that place by their god?  </em></p><p> </p><p><em> Only because they fell to temptation, </em>would always be the answer.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> The serpent and the fruit, you mean.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Kanae laughed, he was cutting an overgrowth of hyacinths and honeysuckle twined at the goddess statue’s ankles, <em> A simplification but yes. It was their punishment for going against the word of the Lord.  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> The suffering of mortality? Isn’t that a bit much of a consequence for knowledge?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> Well, considering the context, their sin was more than just ‘taking knowledge’ </em>He waved the scissors in the air with a flourish to emphasize. </p><p> </p><p>The immortal raised a brow, <em> And that is?  </em></p><p> </p><p>Snip. <em> They wanted more than what they were created for, to surpass the purpose given to them. It’s less action and consequence and more… paying the price. Adam and Eve were already given everything they could possibly need by design, but they became greedy.  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ... </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Aleksander got up from where he was resting and strode to where Kanae stood, molted cherry petals drifted by in the air, his footsteps pressing through their cotton-candy snowfall. He snaked his arms around the priest’s waist to embrace him from behind, peeking over his shoulder by resting his chin upon it. The man in his arms made a sound of contentment at the affection, leaning into it with ease. </p><p> </p><p>From here, he liked to listen to Kanae’s pulse. It thumped to the steady drum of an old rabbit’s foot, slower than it had been a year before. He watched the man’s fragile, human wrists cut through thin, brittle stems. Felt the fibers of his hair tickle his cheek, noticing with great offense the white strands hiding in rich brown locks. His partner hummed a song he didn’t recognize, sounding sweeter than the blood that pumped through his veins. In that moment, he empathized with the plight of the very first humans. </p><p> </p><p>Here, before him, was all he ever needed. Withering with time, slipping through his fingers with each passing day, soon to be taken from him by what all humans fear. What he fears now as well. </p><p> </p><p>If he begged Kanae to stay, to breathe a little longer than his creator intended him to, would that be greedy? Would that be such a sin? </p><p> </p><p>What would be his punishment for doing the forbidden? </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“I thought you didn’t care about the church.” Kuzuha flicked absentmindedly through the car’s stereo. At this hour, there wasn’t much other than cheesy radio dramas, weather forecast reports, and a channel looping playlists of the 90’s greatest hit singles. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t,” Kanae agreed. “But you do.” </p><p> </p><p>“Ha? What gave you that idea?” </p><p> </p><p>Kanae toyed with his cigarette in one hand, the other occupied with the steering wheel though it seemed like an afterthought. The firefly he caught on that paper leash pulsed, brightened when he brought it to his lips. He puffed ill clouds and watched them dissipate against the rearview mirror. Their eyes met in the reflection and Kuzuha looked away, unsettled to be caught staring. </p><p> </p><p>He smiled, amused. “It’s more of a hunch. If there <em> is </em> a specific reason why, then maybe I just can’t recall it right now.” </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think I really like or dislike it, necessarily. I feel neutral about it.” </p><p> </p><p>“Now who’s the liar.” Kanae said, shifting gears to accommodate the uphill drive. The engine made an ugly noise for such an expensive vehicle. “You definitely like being there, I can tell. It isn’t just one of your fleeting interests either.” </p><p> </p><p>Kuzuha grimaced, feeling a bit confused. Their ‘telepathy’ was useful at moments like these, his partner could feel his bewilderment without even glancing at him. </p><p> </p><p>“I know you go there a lot, consistently too.” He started. “It’s rare to see you so hooked, the Kuzuha I know has very few things in life that can keep his attention for that long. Though I’ll admit that one of them being a house of prayer isn’t something I expected.” </p><p> </p><p>“Is that an insult?” </p><p> </p><p>“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Kanae used an elbow to playfully nudge at his side, Kuzuha swatted him away. “I just mean that you cycle through your fascinations pretty briskly, you don’t dwell on anything longer than you want to.” </p><p> </p><p>“...I see.” He replied dismissively, cognizant of how even if he did explain it, Kanae wouldn’t understand. </p><p> </p><p>For him, it was a matter of convenience. The mindset taught him that hard lesson too, of how to adapt to change, something any immortal would struggle to cope with. If he couldn’t learn how to move on then all he’d be is stuck in history, which for Kuzuha meant being utterly consumed by grief and loss from centuries of living. This became a habit that bled into his daily interests and hobbies. It was easier to become accustomed to gaining something precious, losing it at any time, and then waiting for the next precious thing to come along. </p><p> </p><p>Be it a priest, a writer, a soldier, even a child. He couldn’t be trapped in memories that have already birthed life into the next vessel, Kuzuha would never be able to catch up to the present if he kept looking back at their past. </p><p> </p><p>They parked the car right up against the chapel’s door, crooked from the rust and wear of its hinges, gold paint flaking off the trumpets blown by the now obscured depictions of cherubs. Kanae mercilessly snuffed his cigarette against one of their faded wings, leaving permanent scorch marks. He admired the burns like they were an improvement. </p><p> </p><p>Shivers stitched up Kuzuha’s spine into an ache. Kanae was quick to strip his own jacket and put it on him instead. He took it with little protest, not wanting to look like a fool for catching a cold so early into autumn.</p><p> </p><p>He pulled the burgundy coat tighter against himself when his partner took a step back, the scent from it reminded him of a rum brick fireplace or candles lit during a storm. Unlike that of an empty castle, more akin to something of an occupied home. Kuzuha tried not to think about it too much. </p><p> </p><p>Kanae took his hand, leading him carefully in the dark. “Watch your step, there’s broken stuff everywhere.” </p><p> </p><p>What colorful stained glass the chapel once had must have been shattered somehow, probably by fallen branches and stones difficult weather could carry in. Kuzuha was only disappointed for a moment; then like all other things, he let it pass. </p><p> </p><p>They walked into the dim space within the chapel, the rising sun peeking through the hollow windowsill above the altar. Wind whistled through the opening, an abandoned tome’s pages fluttered on the creaking pulpit. </p><p> </p><p>The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, right before the wide aperture. The cityscape stretched out for miles, it all looked so fake from this high up, a mere dream or diorama of reality. It was oddly cathartic, being so distant from it all. Nostalgic too, in Kuzuha’s case. </p><p> </p><p>“Guess.” </p><p> </p><p>“What?” </p><p> </p><p>“Why I asked you to come here.” Kanae's voice echoed, thumb tracing repetitive patterns across the back of his palm. “Think of it as a game, and you even get a prize if you guess correctly!”</p><p> </p><p>Kuzuha’s nose scrunched in distaste. “This is so lame.” </p><p> </p><p>“Sounds like you’re just scared to lose, hm?” </p><p> </p><p>“You asked me to come here cause you’re insane, I thought we established this already.” </p><p> </p><p>He pouted. “I’m going to need a little bit more than that.” </p><p> </p><p>“Crazy shit like this, you pull at least once a week without any explanation. How do I know you even <em> have </em> an actual motive this time?” </p><p> </p><p>“I really do this time, I promise. And here, I’ll even give you a hint.” </p><p> </p><p>Kanae walked closer to the gaping dawn, further away from him, which felt extremely uncomfortable. It was like two magnets being wretched apart, but in just enough distance of each other that the pull could still be sensed. Kuzuha released their joined hands, then balled his fists against his sides to try and restrain himself from reaching out. </p><p> </p><p>“Think of where we are.” Kanae said, “There aren’t many reasons someone comes to a church in the first place.” </p><p> </p><p>“This isn’t a church, it’s a chapel.” </p><p> </p><p>“Kuzuha, come on. Be serious.” </p><p> </p><p>Kanae was dangerously close to the edge of the window now, and he was definitely doing it on purpose. It was like the smoking. He challenged death, taunted it out of spite. Kuzuha knew who the inevitable winner was each time, but he couldn’t deny his partner that right to fight back. How egoistic would it be that he, having already taken Kanae’s wings, should put him in a gilded cage under the pretense of keeping him safe. But the truth was it was never anything more than… </p><p> </p><p>“I doubt you’re here to pray for anything.” He said, “You got something to confess then?” </p><p> </p><p>Kanae snapped his fingers, pointing at him with an impish wink. “Correct.” </p><p> </p><p>Kuzuha sighed, adjusting his collar. “What did you do this time?” </p><p> </p><p>The morning sunlight slowly blanketed his partner’s figure from behind, the shadow cast from that glow grew longer until Kuzuha was standing in it.</p><p> </p><p>“Not that kind of confession.” Kanae leaned back, any more and he would be taken into the abyss below. The ledge groaned and splintered in protest, threatening to break if weighed down any more. The immortal felt nauseous from watching. </p><p> </p><p>“Spit it out then, whatever it–” </p><p> </p><p>“I love you.” </p><p> </p><p>Kuzuha’s frown deepened. </p><p> </p><p>Kanae on the other hand, laughed. “That’s a predictable reaction.” A finger was raised when he tried to open his mouth, “Also before you say something, no, I’m not lying.” </p><p> </p><p>“I know.” He despised this. His eyes were beginning to itch. </p><p> </p><p>“You <em> know? </em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Is that all?” Kuzuha spoke slowly, each word dripping with an aloof coldness. “If you brought us all the way here just to say something so<em> stupid</em>, then you’re really out of your mind.” </p><p> </p><p>“You don’t accept it then, my confession.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hell no.” His lungs felt like they were on fire, like Kanae had doused them in gasoline and jammed a lighter into his ribcage. “Did you actually think I would?” </p><p> </p><p>Kanae smiled serenely at him.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Well? </em>” </p><p> </p><p>“You’re crying.” </p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t matter.” </p><p> </p><p>Yet Kuzuha didn’t flinch when Kanae gently wiped his tears, fingers ghosting over damp cheeks with a distinct tenderness. It was this sympathy that had shown him the good in humanity, what clouded his judgement so much that he recklessly decided to keep it for himself. </p><p> </p><p>And here he was again, in this done over scenario where Kanae’s heart is being tied down to a singular place, it was all his fault. </p><p> </p><p>“Stop.” Kanae held his face in both hands, though now his balancing act was even more precarious. The corroded metal support wavered and dipped. “Stop doing that.” </p><p> </p><p>Kuzuha’s hands remained stiff at waist level, still as a statue. “What are you talking about?” </p><p> </p><p>“Stop trying to carry all of our burdens on your own.” He pressed their foreheads together, “I don’t expect you to say it back to me, Kuzuha.” </p><p> </p><p>“But you should.” Kuzuha whispered, voice cracking. “And you should hate me when I don’t. Why would you love someone who takes advantage of the lives you don’t remember living.” </p><p> </p><p>Whenever he found Kanae, no matter what version of him that was, the outcome was the same. It was unfair to his partner who met him for the first time, every cycle, unaware of their prior years together. Kanae wasn’t obligated to feel the same way about him each time, but he did. Always, <em> always </em> with that unconditional love that Kuzuha didn’t think he deserved. The guilt was severe, it made him prone to pushing Kanae away, to act more standoffish than he actually felt. A pattern of behavior that developed and resurfaced more and more with each reincarnation. He knew it was foul play, but the liability had cultivated itself into a monster he saw in every mirror. </p><p> </p><p>And he convinced himself, with a resolute despair, that he had to keep this monster away from his oldest, most beloved friend. </p><p> </p><p>“Because that someone, more than anyone else in this world…” Kanae lifted his head a bit, sage gazing deep into cherry red. “Loves me.” </p><p> </p><p>“I never said that.” Kuzuha retorted. </p><p> </p><p>“You’re right, never out loud.” He said, “And that’s fine. In fact, I’d feel uneasy if you did accept my confession. I’ll be an honest asshole and say that it would make me feel insecure. I’m not perfect. I don’t even think I’m what anyone would call a ‘good’ person.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not true.” </p><p> </p><p>“Listen to me, Kuzuha.” Kanae straightened his back, wobbling in his unstable foothold. “I don’t have any memory of what we’ve been through, that’s the truth, and it pains me so much. Because I can <em> feel </em> just how much you love me. Every time you look at me, that undeniable fact is overwhelming. You don’t know how frustrated it makes me, that maybe I can never fully understand it all. How much you’ve suffered, all alone. I’m scared that no matter what I do, I’ll be incapable of matching that devotion. And on top of that, how do you think it makes me feel? That the person who loves me so unconditionally won’t let me love him back?” </p><p> </p><p>Kuzuha bit against his inner cheek, Kanae kept going. “You’re doing all of this for the sake of my happiness, because you think that it’s some great evil that our fates are eternally bound together.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Trapped </em> , he thought, <em> I trapped you here with me. </em> </p><p> </p><p>“My past lives are consigned to oblivion, so trying to recall the very first I had especially would be impossible. “Kuzuha, I can say this with a hundred percent certainty that if you stop trying to forget, then you’d know that you weren’t the only one who wanted this.” </p><p> </p><p>Huh? </p><p> </p><p>Trying to forget, was that what he’d been doing all along?</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> Aleksandr, I’m sorry.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> I can’t do it. </em> Kanae had felt so cold in his arms; blood pooled beneath them both, crimson drying to a grotesque autumn foliage. <em> If … If I drink your blood then you’ll never ascend, you’d be subjected to a mortal coil for all eternity.  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> But we’d be together, wouldn’t we? Do you not want that?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Aleksandr trembled, <em> Of course I do! More than anything! </em>To him, this man deserved to become nothing less than what he already was in this world, an angel. </p><p> </p><p><em> Then it’s alright. </em>A frigid hand stroked his head. The immortal leaned into the touch, savoring those final beats of his pulse. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> But what of your faith? What of sin and righteousness?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Aleksandr…  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Kanae squinted, to see him better, then smiled. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> There is no heaven that exists without you. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> … </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Kuzuha?” </p><p> </p><p>He stared at Kanae’s face, unfairly beautiful still, whether flushed with life or being drained of it. The sun had already taken its place high in the sky, an ever present reminder of the ceaseless march of time. Before he knew it it would be noon, then night, then another day would have passed. Weeks, months, years. So much of it and yet not enough. Ruthless, elusive, volatile and unpredictable. You have only two options with time, to enslave it or let it enslave you. That remains law for both mortals and immortals. </p><p> </p><p>“Say it again.” Kuzuha said as his partner brushed the last dew of sorrow from his lashes. </p><p> </p><p>“Are you going to answer me this time?” </p><p> </p><p>“... Yes.” </p><p> </p><p>Kanae looked surprised, a crease formed between his brows as he tried to decipher Kuzuha’s intentions. It’s been awhile since he was entirely unable to read him. In the end, he spoke carefully, barely above a murmur. </p><p> </p><p>“I love you.”</p><p> </p><p>In a swift motion, Kuzuha enveloped Kanae in his arms and drew him away from the open window. All at once, the force of the action caused the ridges to dismantle, shards of wood and loose bolts caved into the collapsing threshold. Fragments of the aged chapel rolled down the steep hillside cliff, landing harshly in a rushing canal, debris smashing against sharp stones and being carried away by the water. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Kanae says, looking back to where a very unfortunate accident could have taken place.</p><p> </p><p>Kuzuha pulled him closer, fingers digging almost painfully into his back. He clutched Kanae with a palpable air of relief, glaring intensely at that same spot. He hears a mumble of thanks, but makes no move to let go. Easing his grip was the most he planned on doing, and soon he felt a reciprocation of lithe arms being wrapped around his shoulders. </p><p> </p><p>“You should quit smoking.” </p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” </p><p> </p><p>“And enough of all these dumb adrenaline junkie stunts.” </p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” </p><p> </p><p>“Also have the engine of your car checked, it’s a hazard.” </p><p> </p><p>“... You really do love me too much.” </p><p> </p><p>Kuzuha pinched his sides, hard. Kanae yelped in pain, but began to laugh despite the soreness. He smiled softly, it was a nice sound to hear, maybe even his favorite. </p><p> </p><p>“That reminds me, I haven’t given you your prize for the guessing game yet!” </p><p> </p><p>“Prize?” </p><p> </p><p>Without warning, Kanae inclined his head and kissed him. Kuzuha’s eyes shut tight, a surprised whine bubbling in his throat at the sensation. Spikes of sharp euphoria washed over him, like a stake through the heart, enough to kill a vampire. It seized his entire being, despite its quick and chaste nature. When they parted, he felt a bit dizzy and plenty embarrassed. </p><p> </p><p>“Well?” Kanae looked at him, anticipating a reaction. “How’d it compare?” </p><p> </p><p>“To… To what?”</p><p> </p><p>“To my past lives, how’d that kiss compare?” </p><p> </p><p>“...” </p><p> </p><p>Kuzuha shoved him away, blushing so hard that even his ears felt like they were on fire. He started to stomp away, fleeing from an elated Kanae who followed closely at his heels. </p><p> </p><p>“Was it better? I bet I was better.” </p><p> </p><p>“Shut up.” </p><p> </p><p>“You don’t have to be considerate to them, Kuzuha. They’re all me anyways so feel free to admit that I’m your favorite.” </p><p> </p><p>“You’re a lost cause.” </p><p> </p><p>“But you love me!” </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never said that.” </p><p> </p><p>In early autumn’s morning mist, beneath the full majesty of golden ginkgo trees and a shower of starry red and yellow maple leaves. The two of them left that old chapel in the same manner as they did many centuries ago, withstanding misfortune and tragedy, defying fate and its vicious odds. </p><p> </p><p>Together, of course, as it has been, as it always will be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you reading for the product of my love for chronoir and my fish brain  (ヘ＿　＿)ヘ</p><p>i'm definitely not the greatest writer ever so excuse me for any possible mistakes (english is also not my first language so aaa) sdjvhsdojvhu also as someone with really bad adhd this was a doozy to write but i had fun </p><p>i'd like to dedicate this to my fellow cnr brainrotters for enabling this mess ヽ(＿　＿ヽ)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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